Emiko Takahashi
by o0Black-Sand0o
Summary: A woman shows up at the Urahara Shop, badly hurt. Emiko Takahashi knew Urahara but as a Captain and stayed by him through his exile. the one question Yuroichi had, 'do you care for her' Of course not... maybe.


_**I got talked into writing an anime, which I had never done before. Please don't be harsh. xxx**_

The shop was closed and Urahara, Tessai, Ururu and Jinta were halfway through dinner. Tessai was arguing with Urahara in a friendly manner about how the expiry date on medicine was not important. Jinta was listening excitedly and reminding the adults of the embarrassing situation of when Tessai forced Urahara to take medicine and he ended up on the toilet for hours. Ururu was simply eating her dinner, not paying attention to anything else. The only thing that broke the conversation was a knock on the door.

It was Jinta who got up from the food and 'thrilling' conversation to find out who was there. He gasped in horror at the woman who was leaning heavily on the doorframe. The woman was as tall as Urahara with long legs covered in skinny legged, black pants, with black, ankle high boots. She was skinny, extremely skinny, and small chested, with a loose, cotton shirt with gold thread lining. Both the pants and the shirt were ripped and blood covered, the only article of clothing not ruined was the expensive cream and peach coat that she held in her hand. She had pitch black hair falling around her shoulders, her fringe, cropped messily and shadowing her soft, periwinkle blue eyes. Her pale face was remarkably unharmed and remained startlingly pretty. She wasn't beautiful in the modern sense but was innocently pretty with a sparkle in her eye and small, pink lips, at the moment parted to let sharp broken breaths in.

"Kisuke Urahara!" she coughed out before she gasped for air, blood coming from her mouth. She slid down the doorframe before turning and landing on the floor on her side with a sickly thud, unconscious.

Urahara was at her side in a moment, assessing if it was safe to move her. Once he found it to be alright he moved her out of the doorway and laid her on her back. He looked over her injuries really quickly before going to her face. He pushed her hair out of her face, revealing tear drop, emerald earrings. He placed his hand on her cheek, rubbing circles on her skin as he spoke softly to the woman, trying to wake her. "Emiko, Emiko, wake up, please."

Emiko didn't move at all, making Urahara gulp and start to inspect her wounds with Tessai's help. They all had a purple/green hue around them that made the situation even more serious. "Tessai, go get something to get the poison out. It was a Hollow. Ururu, stop eating and get me a bowl of just above warm water and a cloth. Damn!"

"What?" asked Tessai in panic, coming back with the ointment.

"We have to undress her." Urahara looked at his worker from under his hat. "That better not be out of date."

"Why are you complaining about undressing her?" piped up Jinta who had been standing off to the side in shock. "She's a pretty girl."

A dark look covered the ex-captain's face as he looked at the young boy. "This is Emiko Takahashi, future head of the Takahashi family, a shy, kind woman and deserves respect and modesty." Jinta nodded in fright before Urahara unstrapped Emiko's kanpakuto and took off her shoes. "Out! All of you."

Ururu, who had just sat the water and cloth down grabbed her food and left without a word whilst the males looked shocked first. They watched as Urahara undid Emiko's pants, seeing as her shirt was tucked into her pants and he didn't want to pull it out encase it aggravated her injuries.

"Sir?" asked Jinta in shock.

"Out!" the man repeated, stopping what he was doing and looking over his shoulder at them. "If she has to be in her underwear, only one of us will witness it for her dignity."

The two other males didn't argue with him before leaving the room, allowing him to pull Emiko's pants off carefully before lifting her shirt away. He focused on her wounds, ignoring her body as a whole. He washed the cuts before applying the ointment that was in-date. He worked carefully, trying to inflict as little pain in possible. He was shaking with fear by the time he was done.

Emiko didn't get hurt. He had never seen her hurt except for maybe a scratch here and there. She always dodged in time or had someone to help her. She was normally so lucky but now she was laying on his shop floor, unconscious and dying.

When he had finished he picked her up and carried her to his room. Everyone was smart enough to make themselves scarce. He pulled back the blankets with her still in his arms before placing her down and pulling the blankets over her. He ran to the shop and grabbed her coat and sword, bringing them to his room and sitting them on the desk before he sat on the edge of the bed.

Emiko was exactly as she had been last time he saw her, besides the injuries. She dropped in much like Yoruichi except in human form and didn't talk to Tessai, seeing as she was too shy. She came, he gave up his bed, sleeping on the couch instead; they walked around the park, went to the pool if it was good weather and parted ways after a week or two. He still wasn't used to not having her around all the time like when he was a captain but he enjoyed her visits as much as he enjoyed Yoruichi's. He just wished they weren't as brief and far apart.

Looking at the slightly younger person's face Urahara decided he needed to do something. Jumping up he went and found Tessai who was in his room knitting. "Look after her, give her anything she needs, no medicine that is out of date. I don't care what you think about it, she deserves the best."

"Where are you going?" the large man asked, getting up off his bed.

"She needs clothing," yelped Urahara. "She needs new clothing. I need to get her new clothing."

"You can get them later," suggested Tessai, looking at his boss in worry.

"No!" cried the blond. "I need to do something. I can't watch her lay there."

The tall man looked at Urahara in sympathy. "I'll look after her. Only the best. And I'll make sure Jinta and Ururu behave."

"Thank you," spoke the boss of the shop before he ran off. 

They stood in a group whispering and looking over at the figure standing in a girl's clothing store. They were all wondering if they were seeing it right but there were four of them and they all saw it.

"That is him, right? I'm not hallucinating?" asked Rukia, staring in astonishment.

"You're seeing right, its him," confirmed Ichigo, frowning.

"Why's he looking at girl clothing?" Chad questioned in his deep voice.

"Let's go ask him," declared Orihime, grabbing a wrist of the two boys and dragging them over, knowing Rukia would follow. "Mr Urahara, why are you here? Are you alright? You seem sad."

Urahara turned his eyes on the students. Even though his eyes were covered by his green and white stripped hat they could tell he was upset. "I need to get clothing," he stated in a half focused voice.

"But this is a girl's clothing store," informed the red head with a kind smile.

"I know. I need to get girl clothing." He noticed the confused looks the four gave him. "It's not for me! It's for Emiko. Her clothing is ripped, she needs new ones but everything I look at is girly and she doesn't wear... girly."

"Emiko?" spoke Rukia. "Who?"

"Emiko Takahashi," clarified the man wearing the hat. "She was my lieutenant. She's shy, quiet, allergic to lavender, made sure Yoruichi and I made it back to our barracks when we went out drinking, she saved me from the death penalty when I was exiled, was kicked out of the thirteen court guard squad because of it and she never got hurt, ever. And now she's lying in my bed, and she's going to kill me because she's only wearing her bra and undies and she's modest. Did I mention she's modest? Because she is and her clothing is ruined so I need to get her clothing so she has something to wear but she hates dresses and skirts and she can't wear pants because she thinks her legs are too skinny. Her legs are too skinny, she's too skinny but she can't gain weight."

"Alright." Ichigo tried to take charge. "We'll buy her clothing. It's going to be fine."

"No!" whimpered Urahara. "It's not going to be _fine_! I'm not meant to be worried about her! She's never been this hurt before. She's lucky. We were once fighting a Hollow that was so fast, Yoruichi couldn't even shunpo out of the way and it went to attack Emiko and she tripped on a rock, which saved her life and I got the chance to destroy the Hollow." A pained expression came over his face, astounding the four young people who all saw him as the odd shop owner with an unusual sense of humour. "It wasn't planned. I never planned for her to get hurt. I promised her grandfather that she would be safe when she became my lieutenant." A tear fell from Urahara's eye. "She's not meant to be hurt. It wasn't planned."

"Uhhh," cooed Orihime, drawing the older man into a hug. Surprisingly to everyone he didn't make a move on her. He just stood there, limp in her arms.

"We need to get her clothing," he stated, making the busty girl let go. "She has really long legs. Really skinny legs too."

"We'll find something," promised Rukia with a caring smile. "And she'll be fine. The Takahashi family are quick healers." She didn't know if that was true but she just wanted the pained look off of Urahara's face.

"Do you know her size?" Everyone looked at Chad, forgetting he was there for a moment.

"Yes, I remember her complaining when she was buying a swimsuit. Apparently they don't stock a lot of her size. But I'm not sure if it's the same size for clothing as for swimsuits."

"We'll get one size up and one size down," assured Orihime. "That way if she's changed sizes since then, it'll be alright."

Urahara nodded before the girls started asking him other questions about his friend's clothing style. By the end of the shopping they had five outfits for her, all returnable so the sizes that didn't fit could be exchanged. After that they helped him get back to the shop seeing as he was slightly distraught.

When they entered they found Tessai coming out of what they assumed to be Urahara's bedroom. He left the door open, showing a figure lying in the bed, dark hair falling over the pillow.

"What were you doing?" yelped Urahara, rushing forward. "Why were you in there?"

"I was checking on her," explained Tessai in a calm voice. "She's running a slight fever and is in pain so I gave her some pain killers and put a wet cloth on her forehead. The blankets remained where they were the whole time. I know how she is, and I know you're protective of her."

Urahara pushed his hat up, squeezing the bridge of his nose before pulling his hat back into place and walking into his room. He sat on his bed and picked up the girl's slender hand, hugging it to his chest. He pushed some hair out of her face and ignored the four teens left in the hallway.

Thankfully, Tessai waved them into the main room, closing Urahara's door before following. "Sorry about Urahara. When she was his lieutenant she was on patrol duty and some... men tried to take advantage of her. Luckily Urahara was trying to think of the solution to an experiment, so he went for a walk, and found them. They didn't do anything to her but they stripped her. Urahara stopped them and Yamamoto was thankful."

"Yamamoto?" queried Ichigo in confusion.

"Her grandfather," replied Tessai, pouring tea for them all. "Don't be surprised if you don't hear her talk and if you come looking for Urahara when she's here, don't be surprised if they're out. They always go out."

Said blond came rushing into the room. Filling up a jug of cold water and grabbing a cup before making his way back to his room. He stopped before exiting the room. "She's awake. I'm thinking of taking her to the spring in the training room if her fever doesn't break soon."

Tessai just nodded, handing Urahara the bags of clothing that the teens had sat on the table. 

"Kisuke?" The words were barely above a whisper. For a moment, the man thought she hadn't spoken, till she moved her arm, holding her hand out for him.

He came over to the bed, putting the bags down near the door. "Emiko, I've got water for you and clothing. How do you feel?"

"Sore," she exclaimed in a dry voice, gratefully drinking the water her friend offered her. "Thank you."

Urahara took the glass away when she had drained the water. He started to fidget making Emiko raise an eyebrow. "I need to check your cuts."

She simply gave him her signature, half smile and nodded her head. "I trust you."

Urahara shyly moved back the blankets, assessing the wounds. They didn't look much better so the blond stood up and grabbed a silk robe out of his wardrobe. The robe was the same blue as Emiko's eyes, and actually belonged to her. "Put this on, I'm taking you to the spring... do you wish to change into your swimmers?"

"No," she replied, getting out of bed slowly and slipping the gown on. Her behaviour shocked Urahara, seeing as she didn't hide her body from him, but he figured it was because she was in too much pain to care. She stumbled making the man catch her. "Thank you."

Urahara smiled down at the woman, whose head was lying on his shoulder. He pushed back her hair and whispered in her ear, "No need to thank me, Emiko, I just want you safe."

They walked through the main room where Tessai, Chad, Rukia, Ichigo and Orihime were drinking tea. They all looked up as they walked in. Their eyes scanned Emiko, who had her eyes closed. The moment they snapped open everyone gasped. Her eyes were known for having the ability to stop people in their tracks. Kurotsuchi wanted to cut them out and study them.

"She's beautiful," gasped Rukia before she realised she spoke out of term in front of a noble. She quickly stood and bowed. "Forgive me, Miss Takahashi, I'm Rukia Kuchiki."

Emiko dropped her head, making her fringe shadow her eyes. She then gave a wave before Urahara came to her rescue.

"We're going to be in the training room, don't bother coming to get us unless its life or death."

Tessai nodded as the two kept walking. When they got to the entrance of the underground training room Emiko just looked at the stairs before looking at the blond next to her.

"You're funny!"

"I don't expect you to climb down the stairs," exclaimed Urahara before he bent down, allowing Emiko jump on his back. When she was secure he descended the stairs. It took them a little while to get to the bottom, seeing as Urahara kept stopping to make use Emiko wasn't about to fall. When they reached the bottom, the blond led his friend over to where the spring was hidden. "Are you sure you want to go in with your bra and underwear because I forgot to buy you more bras... mainly because I didn't know your size."

Emiko blushed, dropping her head and fidgeting with the sash of her robe. "I have a cut on my side where my underwear sit... they're ripped and hurting me. And I have another cut were the back of my bra sits."

"That's a bummer," stated Urahara who had just taken off his jacket and shirt. He then paused. "Oh. Um, I can go."

"No, it's okay." Emiko turned an even brighter shade of red, her eyes not looking at Urahara in the slightest. "The steam will cover, won't it?"

"It will," confirmed the ex-captain, a blush colouring his cheeks as well. "I'll look away."

"Wait!" the dark haired girl turned her back to him and dropped the robe off her shoulders just enough to show the back of her bra. "Could you? I'm sorry, but I can't get it."

Urahara closed his eyes and ran his fingers down her bra strap until he reached the horizontal part. He followed that to the clip and undid it, keeping his eyes firmly shut as he turned away from her. He listened to the sound of her clothing dropping away, his face turning hotter at the thought of how scandalous it was. He was normally fine with such displays, Yoruichi had made him immune to embarrassment towards woman stripping off but it was Emiko. The woman who blushed if you could see her stomach. She always wore a one piece at the pool with a sarong, skirt looking thing. She must have been in a lot of pain for her to be naked in the same room as him.

"I'm in," declared the woman, letting him know he could turn around.

It was only then that he realised his swimming shorts were in his hand, not on him. He looked at Emiko, sitting in the water, it coming up to her collar bone and the steam obscuring her face. He smiled and quickly ducked behind a large rock, hearing the girl chuckle. He came back moments later and slid into the water. "How are your cuts?"

"Starting to feel better," she informed, lifting an arm out of the water so he could see. The wounds were no longer a disturbing green like they had been but instead were turning back to normal, starting to heal over. Urahara grabbed her wrist, looking up the length of her arm to see if they were giving the same reaction as the first he looked at. When he reached her shoulder he quickly looked at her face, seeing her turn her face away from him.

"What's wrong, Emiko?" he moved closer to her, making her move away. He moved closer again, grasping her arms to stop her moving. He let go of one of her arms, grasping her chin, making her look at him. "Sweet, Emiko, what is the matter? Are you still blushing or is it the fever?"

"Kisuke," she whispered, not meeting his eye.

Urahara looked over her shoulder and saw her discarded clothing, making him remember what state she was in. "You're naked! I forgot, sorry." He pushed away from her, accidently doing a summersault when he was in the middle of the spring. He kept his eyes closed until he had surfaced for at least a minute. He just listened to Emiko's laughed, which reminded him of soft bells.

"Kisuke," she spoke again when he had opened his hazel eyes. She picked his hat up which had flouted over to her and put it on her head. Instead of saying anything else she pointed at something that was laying on the edge of the water.

Urahara looked over and blushed. His pants had come off shortly after getting in. "How much did you see?"

"Nothing until you did the summersault," confessed Emiko. "I tried to shut my eyes but I wasn't quick enough."

"This is embarrassing," stated the blond, his mouth drooped.

"But a funny story to tell in years to come," added his friend who was still wearing his hat. Next moment she took a deep breath, plunging under the water, holding his hat on her head.

Urahara was out of the water as quickly as he could, yelling, "I'll get you some clothing," as he pulled on his pants.

Emiko resurfaced when he was halfway up the ladder, frowning in confusion. "I had my eyes closed," she muttered.

By the time the shop owner came back the woman was sitting at the edge of the spring, her body in the water and her head lulled to the side, resting on the earth. She looked better, no pasty, sickly look to her face, though it was still pale. At the sound of the approaching footsteps she cracked one eye open.

"Hey," she greeted in a tired voice.

"Sleepy?" Urahara asked, getting a nod in reply. "Well here's some clothing. I'll be over there when you're done getting dressed." He sat the clothing down and walked off to the spot he had pointed to. When he reached it he closed his eyes and started humming to himself. He didn't stop till he felt a damp hand touch his bare shoulder. He turned to find Emiko in the grey shirt and green pants he had bought her for pyjamas, the blue robe around her shoulders again. "You look better."

"I feel better."

They parted ways at Urahara's bedroom door, said man giving the woman her usual kiss on the cheek which she turned her face away from. It was the first time she had done that after Urahara had started the habit. He vaguely wondered why she turned from it but decided not to dwell till the next day. 

He didn't knock on the door, he just walked in like always. He found Emiko still sleeping, hugging the blankets to her form. He went over, putting the tray in his hands on the bedside table before he started shaking her by her shoulder. She eventually began to stir and wake up, looking up at him from under a mop of hair so see his smiling face.

"You're too much of a morning person," she grumbled, turning her face into the pillow and hugging the blanket tighter.

In response Urahara started tugging the blankets out of her grasp. She whined in protest but eventually relented, allowing her ex-superior to pull back the warm fabrics. Once they were out of the way the blond plopped down onto the bed and pulled the tray onto his lap. "I want to eat breakfast in my bed!" He took a bite out of a strip of bacon as proof.

Emiko just raised an eyebrow before she lifted her head off of the pillow and relocated it to Urahara's shoulder once she had sat up. She then grabbed a strip of bacon as well and began eating. "You have enough breakfast for two."

"I'm a growing boy," falsely explained the hated man. His friend just nodded her head, pretending to believe him. He just laughed and slung an arm around her shoulder. "It's good to see you. It's been over a year since your last visit."

"I know," she promised, not alluding to why she was kept away. "Do you want to go for a walk in the park today?"

"Sure," accepted Urahara not voicing the question he was aching to. He really wished to know how long she was going to stay this time because he had a horrible feeling it wasn't long if he didn't do something.

They ate in silence before Urahara picked up the tray and walked out of the room, allowing Emiko to get dressed. When he stepped out he almost stepped on Yoruichi's tail. She moved quickly, hissing at him for not paying attention. "Sorry, Yoruichi," spoke the blond, continuing his path to the kitchen.

"What's with the tray?" asked female with a male voice.

"Emiko is here," explained the man, setting the tray down and turning to face the cat. "She showed up last night, badly injured. She's alright now. She had a swim in the spring."

"What do you two have planned for her visit?" Yoruichi tried to keep the annoyance out of her voice but the truth was, she hated how her best friend seemed to forget about her when the other woman was around.

"I don't know about the whole time but we're going to the park today." Urahara got his fan out of his sleeve and opened it, hiding his gleeful smile. "I'm glad she's back. I hope she stays longer this time. It's been so long."

"Kisuke, don't get your hopes up," warned Yoruichi. She knew how dear Emiko was to Urahara, she was one of the few people that could give his brilliant mind a challenge but the cat couldn't help the dreaded feeling that Emiko didn't want to stay.

"I won't," assured the blond, though they both knew it was a hollow promise as the shy girl entered the room, making him smile widely.

She wore a red version of the top she had worn when she appeared the night before, and similar black pants with silver stitching. Her hair was laying around her shoulders in its messy but styled way and her head was down, her eyes looking at the floor, her peach and cream coat sitting on her shoulders, her arms not through the sleeves.

"Beautiful," declared Urahara in a dramatic voice, making Emiko blush. "Let's go. Bye, Yoruichi, we can hang out later today."

"Looking forward to it," muttered the woman, stalking off to get Tessai to put milk out for her.

Urahara looked away from where his friend had just disappeared to see Emiko run out of the kitchen with a laugh. Snapping his fan closed, the man smiled before taking chase after his friend. She had already left the courtyard surrounding the shop and was heading down the street, towards their favourite park. Her coat fanned out in her wake, staying on her shoulders by her kido she had performed earlier. Her kanpakuto was not in sight but Urahara knew she had it.

He caught up with her at the end of the street, wrapping his arms around her slim waist and lifting her up as though it was no effort, which it really wasn't. She squealed in protest, bracing her feet on his chest before pushing away from him. She landed flat on her stomach, knocking the wind out of her with an unflattering "uhmp."

Urahara just looked at his friend before laughing, his hands on his knees for support. "You try to get away and end up winding yourself."

"I just wanted you to put me down," justified the girl, getting up and brushing herself off. Once she was satisfied that her outfit was dirt free she continued walking, leaving Urahara to catch up.

"Wait, you almost left me behind," pouted the man, jogging to keep up.

"You have two legs, and you used them to match my distance," rationalised the girl in a cheeky tone.

"Not nice," scolded the shop owner with a wave of his finger in Emiko's face. "No ice cream for you."

"Fine then," accepted the woman, turning around. "I'll go home."

"No!" yelped Urahara, jumping in front of her. "Ice cream, yes, ice cream. You can even eat it off me if you want." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively before long slender fingers flicked him hard in the forehead. "I deserved that."

That giggle. He loved making her giggle. It was the first sound he ever heard her make in his presence. She had taken the paper he was working on out of his hand after him muttering, "It's not working," for two hours.

She had looked at it, written _it's wrong!_ And circled his mistake. He had protested she was mistaken, even jumping up and down like a little child, making her giggle. He had stopped at the noise, looking for the musical instrument he was certain had caused the sound, but instead he found his lieutenant covering her mouth, hiding a large smile and emanating the sound again.

"It's negative seventeen!" she had laughed, making him look at the circled part and the equation to go with it. She had been right. He had forgotten to change a positive sign during the working out which had altered the result to the point it was unusable. His third, fourth and fifth seat had looked at the equation and result and taken his answer as law whilst she had looked at it as though it was unanswered, as though she wasn't about to question her superior. She loved to challenge him, push him, encourage him, and help him. Even if it would lead to them both having to leave the Guard Squad.

How that giggle reminded him of why they were friends.

However, looking at her eyes now, he saw something there, something unnamed. Her eyes always had a spark, and twinkle to them, but this was different. They seemed to burn like lights, like a touch to help him read a story, but the words were unrecognisable to him. He had never seen eyes with those words in them. It was as though it was a foreign language.

Urahara walked behind his ex-lieutenant and grasped her hips, he then lent down the difference in their heights, placing his lips on the part of her shoulder revealed by her loose collar. He then proceeded to blow a raspberry.

"Yuck!" yelled the woman, jerking out of his touch, allowing him to laugh and run off, heading towards their original destination. With a growl of frustration the woman took chase, not keeping up to the slightly faster man. "Get back here!"

"No," he childishly protested with a cheeky smile over his shoulder.

They made it to the park and Urahara hid behind the swings, Emiko chasing him around them. The girl sharply turned around the bar holding the swings up, putting a hand on the ground to support herself, her hair and coat fanning out behind her. Urahara changed direction, heading toward the slide. He jumped up the stairs, sitting on the slide before plummeting to the bottom. Emiko followed his actions with a laugh of joy. However, the blond hadn't moved from the bottom, making the dark haired girl slam into him, making them both sprawl eagle on the ground at the foot of the slide.

"Ow," whined the girl through breaths of laughter.

Urahara turned over, keeping Emiko above him. He smiled at her in joy. "Well that was eventful," he commented, tipping his hat down to better hide his eyes.

"Yeah," Emiko agreed half heartedly, not looking at her friend before she got up.

"What's wrong, Emiko?" Urahara asked, getting to his feet, ignoring the leaves attached to his back.

"Nothing," assured the girl with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"You're lying," assessed the researcher. "You crinkled your nose. You always crinkle your nose when you lie."

"Kisuke," she sighed his name, dropping her head. "Let's just enjoy our time."

"Before you leave again," finished Urahara sadly.

"Let's go out to dinner tonight," suggested the woman, changing the subject, "like we used to when in the Seireitei. Do you remember?"

"Yeah, I remember," confirmed the man with the green and white hat. "We'd have dinner, a few drinks, dance if music was on and try to play pool."

"You tried," corrected Emiko with her traditional half smile.

"I tried," agreed the man. He fell silent for a moment, looking at the ground. He then looked back up at his friend, flicking his fan out. "The flowers are in bloom. Do you want to go for a walk around the garden." Emiko gave a nod before he hooked his arm with hers, walking off towards the park garden. 

She could hear movement in Urahara's bedroom. She knew with Emiko staying it may be her, which annoyed her seeing as she forced to sleep on a cat bed when she stayed over. She walked to the door and knocked, being in human form so it was an actual knock.

"Who is it?" sung out a male voice.

_Kisuke_, thought Yoruichi. "It's me," she called through the door.

"Oh, good, come in," instructed the voice.

She opened the door to find Urahara standing in front of a full length mirror, no hat on, black pants on and holding a dark green, long sleeve shirt and a black, long sleeve one in front of his bare chest. On the bed was a dark green jacket, almost the same shade as the shirt in his hands and a black jacket, both reaching his thigh when worn.

"Which one?" he asked, moving the shirts so one was fully in front of his chest before putting the other in its place.

"What's the occasion?" retorted Yoruichi, sitting on Urahara's bed, being mindful of the jackets.

"Emiko and I are going to dinner," explained the man, smiling happily.

"But," started Yoruichi before she contemplated stopping, at Urahara's raised eyebrow she ploughed on. "I thought you were going to spend time with me tonight."

Urahara gave her a kind smile through the mirror. "Well we had no definite plan and who knows how long Emiko will be here for this time."

"You care for her, don't you!" Yoruichi stated more then asked, her brow frowned in contemplation.

"She's my friend," countered Urahara, deciding on the green. Before he could put it on Emiko walked in without knocking. Her eyes landed on Urahara's well toned chest, making her drop her eyes and blush. "Sorry, but all my clothing is in here and you're already dressed."

"It's okay," spoke Emiko in a soft voice, walking over to the dresser and opening a draw.

In the draw Yoruichi could see an assortment of hairclips, makeup and even a separate space for undergarments that were not Urahara unless he cross dressed without her knowledge. From the draw Emiko pulled a silver hairclip that was in a twirling intricate pattern that she clipped into her hair. She also pulled out a pink clip in a double butterfly fashion and purple/pink lipstick. This confused the cat woman seeing as Emiko's hair was perfect and she already had a light layer of powder pink on her lips.

Her hair was put into a curly, low bun, the clip on the side of her head, just above her ear. Her makeup was light in quantity and looked natural. A fake blush to her cheeks, a goldish colouring to define her cheekbones, brown eye shadow with a black smoky effect, making her eyes stand out! Her clothing was impeccable too. She wore blue pants, with a white tank top, all but the part covering her chest was made up of pale blue netting, two layers that came to a point at the front. Over that she was putting a white, long jacket, finishing off the attire with black high heels.

"I like the green on you," the woman commented, closing the draw and looking at her ex-captain.

"Good thing I chose it then," joked the man, buttoning up the shirt.

"I have to ask," butted in the yellow eyed woman. "What is with the extra clip and the different lipstick?"

As though on queue Ururu came into the room. Though the girl normally looked emotionless she was practically bouncing. Her hair was out of its traditional pigtails and instead was in a low ponytail towards the side of her head, bringing her long hair over her shoulder, in a seemingly old fashioned way that suited her well. Her eyelids and cheeks had a light layer of makeup on, all she needed was lipstick. She went straight over to Emiko who put lipstick on her and put the clip on the side of her head the ponytail wasn't on.

"How do I look, Mr Urahara?" the girl asked in a quiet voice. The lipstick brought out her eyes and the makeup gave a healthy colour to her face. She looked astounding.

"You look amazing," praised the man, making the young girl blush. "You both do." This made the older girl blush. "Now, Ururu, stay away from any boys besides the ones we know. And don't let Jinta tell you, you look anything but beautiful."

The little girl squeaked out her agreement before racing out of the room.

"Why did you put makeup on her?" questioned Yoruichi in curiosity.

"She was watching me put on mine so I put some on her," explained the shy girl, putting the lipstick back. "Did you want to put makeup on her?"

"She's a little girl," exclaimed the dark woman.

"I know," assured Emiko. "Her mother should be the one teaching her how to put makeup on but she doesn't have one so I taught her."

"You actually explained it to her?" inquired Urahara as he put on black shoes. Emiko just nodded. "You talked to her?"

"She's nice."

"She'll want you to adopt her if you're not careful," warned the man with a chuckle.

"I wouldn't mine," muttered the woman, knowing it would carry. Urahara just smiled at her as he put on his other shoe. "Oh, I forgot to tell her she can keep the clip. I should before I forget."

"I'll meet you out there," yelled Urahara as it did up his shoe, the woman already leaving the room. When he was done he stood up, put on the black jacket and started walking to the door.

"What about your hat?" yelped Yoruichi.

"Not wearing it," informed the man, looking at his friend with a smile. "Emiko said she prefers seeing my eyes."

"Yeah, and you have to listen to her," bit the woman, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes.

"Yoruichi, what's wrong?" Urahara asked, kneeling down in front of his long time friend.

"You ignore me when she's here and it makes me feel unwanted," admitted the woman without meaning to.

Urahara smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, it's just... I miss her. I miss you too but you visit more than she does and for longer and... It's different with you. I don't know why but when I was standing before all the Thirteen Court Guard Squad and they were contemplating killing me, I wasn't scared. I knew what I had been doing. But then Emiko stood up, looked her grandfather, who she adored, in the face and said she helped me and deserved to bare my punishment as her own, I was scared. I was terrified. Ever since then I've wanted her with me, I've always felt that way, she's fun to be around, but it was that day I realized I needed her around. She's pure inspiration to me. I'm addicted to that. I need her here because she gives me ideas and helps me see them through. She is everything I miss and overlook. So when she's here, I try to absorb as much of it as possible."

"Are you sure you don't care for her?" chuckled Yoruichi.

"Positive." The man grinned, getting up. "She's my friend. Now are you okay?"

"Yes," confirmed the woman. "Now go."

The man just gave her another cheerful grin before doing as she asked, running out of the room to meet Emiko. He found her with a finger to Jinta's forehead, leaning down to stare into his eyes. She wasn't speaking a word, only giving him her half smile.

"I'm sorry, Ururu," stammered Jinta, his eyes not leaving Emiko's. "I was wrong, you look not ugly."

The dark haired woman seemed satisfied and took her finger off his forehead, standing straight. She turned to Ururu whose sad expression had left her face. She patted her head and walked over to Urahara, allowing him to link his arm with hers.

"Have fun whilst we are gone," spoke Urahara before he and Emiko walked out of the building. They walked to the club they were to have dinner at, seeing as it wasn't too far away and the blond didn't own a car. As they walked they simply observed their surroundings like they were fond of doing. They didn't see a need for words in the silent night, they just enjoyed the feel of each others presents. Truthfully, Urahara's mind was running with too many new ideas to formulate conversation, and Emiko knew him well enough to know this. When they got to the restaurant, the ex-captain pulled out Emiko's seat before sitting himself. It was only after the waiter had brought them their drinks that they started talking. "I've gotten better at pool," assured the man.

"One could only hope because I don't think it possible for you to get worse," joked the girl, taking a sip of her drink. Her eyes then travelled down to the glass of liquid. "You got me alcohol."

Urahara produced his fan from his jacket pocket, opening it to hide his grin. "I figured we'd start our drinking early."

"Are you drinking too?" inquired the woman, raising an eyebrow at him. Her dinner company just shrugged his shoulders, making Emiko roll her eyes and smile. "You're incorrigible."

"I can only hope to encourage you to misbehave." He gave her a cheeky smile which surprising to him, made her blush lightly.

"That's not what I said," reprimanded the woman in a quiet voice. "Incorrigible means unamendable or unable to set right. Encourage means to stimulate by helping." Urahara closed his eyes and smirked at his friend, knowing she was slowly turning red. "Not like that you pervert!"

"You said it!" reminded the man, opening his eyes and taking a sip of his drink. "Well you certainly 'encourage' me." His friend's blue eyes widened in disbelief at what he was saying. "Ideas. I meant ideas. And you say I'm a pervert."

Emiko pouted and dipped the tips of her first three fingers in her drink, flicking the drops in her friend's direction. After seeing the astounded look on his face she started laughing.

"Hey!" yelped the man, moving back in his seat. "I took a lot of time to get dressed, all for you."

Emiko calmed down and looked at Urahara. "Really? That was very sweet of you."

"You're my friend," reminded the man with a shake of his head.

"Yeah," agreed Emiko in a sad voice. "We're good friends." 

"Pitiful!"

"It wasn't that bad!"

"The white ball bounced over your ball, bounced two more times and almost landed on the ground if I hadn't caught it."

"Okay, it was pitiful." Urahara sighed, looking at the pool table. He had only knocked one of his down and that had been luck alone. Emiko, however, only had three left, not counting the black ball. At the club all the balls besides the white and the black were two colours: blue and orange. Emiko was orange and he was blue. They were pretty sure they did that for the drunks who wouldn't be able to tell if the white circle on the side was small or big. Truthfully he doubted he could have, seeing as he had had a few drinks.

Emiko had as well, but she still played fine.

"Hat and Clogs!"

The blond man turned to look at where the voice came from, seeing a head of orange hair. "Ichigo!" he yelled back before seeing he was with his family. "Ichigo's family."

The Kurosaki family walked over, Ichigo leading the way. They stopped a safe distance away from the pool table so they wouldn't get hit by any balls flying off the table as Emiko bent to take her shot.

"Hat and Clogs," she laughed, hitting the white ball and sinking two of Urahara's, which he knew she was aiming at. "Thought I'd help you out."

"Do we know you?" the young Kurosaki girl with dark hair asked in a slightly moody voice.

"Unlikely," replied Urahara as he tried to line up his shot. "This is Emiko Takahashi."

Emiko smiled at them before taking a sip out of the bottle she had sitting on the table nearby. "Nice to meet you."

"Don't even think about it, dad," muttered Ichigo to his father once he saw his dad melt at Emiko's smile. "Hat and Clogs will kill you."

"Hey I sunk one," exclaimed said man, looking at his friend happily.

The woman just snorted, her teeth hitting the rim of the bottle gently as her lips were pulled back into a smile. "Try it again." He did as she said, the white ball flying off the table, headed for the second Kurosaki female. In a flash Emiko was in front of them, the white ball in her hand. "I meant without injuring anyone."

"Well you failed to pacify that," joked the man, picking up his drink as his friend went to it the ball on the start line. He laughed when he realised all three of her balls were on the smaller side of the line, meaning she couldn't hit them directly. He went up behind her, and whispered in her ear. "I bet you a kiss you can't get one in. You miss, I get a kiss, you get it... well you decide."

He then walked towards the substitute Soul Reaper and his family as Emiko bent to take her shot. He couldn't help but notice a smile on her face. She was doing the calculations of what angle she needed the white ball to ricochet off the barrier at the far end of the table to hit one of the orange balls in.

"How do you know Ichigo?" asked Mr Kurosaki, paying more attention to Emiko then to Urahara, who he had asked the question to.

"I met him through Rukia, she's a customer at my shop and I helped him get his strength up. He wanted to become fitter," half explained the man, eyeing his best friend. Just as she hit the white ball he slammed his behind into the table, disturbing her shot and making it not go where she wished.

"Asshole!" she spat in a friendly manner. She looked at their drinks to find them empty. "Want another?"

"My treat," insisted the man, throwing his wallet at her. She caught it easily and walked off, telling him not to cheat whilst she was gone.

"I thought you said Emiko was too shy to talk in front of Tessai, who she's met numerous times," stated Ichigo, frowning at his mentor in confusion.

"She is," agreed Urahara, walking over to one of his blue balls, putting it in the whole and pulling the white ball near the whole, by hand.

"Then why is she talking around us?" asked the brunette Kurosaki girl. "I'm Yuzu, by the way, and this is my sister, Karin and our dad, Isshin."

"I'm Kisuke Urahara and the answer to your question, young Yuzu, is," Urahara smiled, flicking his fan out to hide it, "the large quantity of alcohol in her small body."

"You got her drunk," exclaimed Karin in a deadpan voice.

"No." Urahara shook his head. "She got herself drunk. I must admit I'm still surprised that she can almost keep up with me, seeing as she has basically no fat on her body and I have fat and muscle to soak up the liquor. She's only three drinks behind me."

"Hey, Hat and Clogs... where are your hat and clogs?"

Urahara chuckled at Ichigo's unusual question. "No clogs allowed in this place and Emiko prefers me without the hat.

"So you two are an item?" Isshin asked in disappointment.

"No but I am wondering why people keep asking that," admitted Urahara before noticing his friend coming back. "Emiko, my sweet."

"How many did you put in the whole?" she asked, handing him his drink.

"One with a surprising shot," lied the man with a childish grin.

"So you grabbed one, put it in the whole and moved the white?" guessed the woman, her fringe falling into her sparkling eyes.

"Pretty much," confirmed the man, unashamed. He watched his friend shrug, uncaring as she took her go from where the white sat after Urahara's tampering. She sunk all three of hers in one shot. "Unfair."

With a grin she the sunk the white. "Another?" She got a nod as answer.

"I think we'll leave you two so Mr Urahara can loss again without witnesses," declared Karin, before she started leading her family away.

"Bye, my Urahara, bye, Miss Takahashi," said Yuzu as the Kurosaki family walked away from the two. 

It was late when they finally returned to Urahara's shop. They tried to be quiet as they navigated their way down the dark hallways the best they could in their drunken state. Emiko had almost tripped numerous times, staying standing only because of Urahara's hands on her waist. They ran into a wall, making both of them laugh lightly as they tried to keep walking.

"My room should be here," whispered Urahara, feeling around for the door handle. He found it and opened the door, the two of them falling through the doorway.

They picked themselves up, allowing the man to close the door and turn on the light. The light was cruel on their eyes but at least allowed them to see. Emiko moved over to sit on the bed, unzipping her shoes and pulling them off. Urahara followed her example and took his off, throwing them into the corner. He then flopped down onto his back. Emiko laughed and started pushing him.

"You have to get up," she giggled.

"Can't," he muttered, closing his eyes.

"Yes!"

"No! And you still owe me a kiss." Urahara cracked his eyes open, looking at his friend through a haze of blond hair. He sat up, seeing her turn her head away, a blush on her cheeks. He cupped the cheek facing away from him, guiding her to look at him. "You don't have to though."

Emiko took at deep breath before leaning forward, pressing her lips against his. He was in shock for a moment, remaining limp against her lips before he started to respond, pressing his lips hard against her smaller ones. The kiss didn't last too long for they heard a noise in the hall, making them both jump.

"I better go," spoke Urahara, his hand still on Emiko's cheek.

The girl nodded before crawling to the other end of the bed, lying down with her head on a pillow. Urahara sighed, not understanding the look of guilt and pain that had ran through Emiko's eyes. Being too drunk to think it over he got up and walked out to the lounge room to get some sleep. When he woke up the room was bathed in obnoxious light, stinging his eyes. The moment he opened his green orbs he slammed them closed, hearing laugher from where his stomach was.

"Late night?"

"Yoruichi, tell the morning to go away," muttered the man, draping an arm over his eyes in the hope to block out the offensive rays. He could feel his friend's cat weight on his abs, her tail lightly flicking him on the chest.

"Alright," agreed the female with a male voice. Amusement could clearly be heard. "What should I tell the noon, seeing as that is what is causing you pain?"

"It's noon?" croaked the man, finally opening his eyes, only to see his cat friend nod. "Fantastic," he muttered sarcastically. "Where's Emiko?"

"Sunshine is getting up now."

The two on the lounge looked up to see Emiko walk out of the bedroom, holding her head.

"Good morning," greeted Yoruichi cheerfully.

"Ahh," was the response she received.

"You had one to many as well?" inquired Urahara as his friend sat on the ground next to the lounge.

"Try five to many," corrected the human woman.

"Ichigo said he and his family saw you last night," informed the cat with a grin... which was odd to see on a cat.

"He did?"

"Whose Ichigo?"

Yoruichi shook her head at Urahara's and Emiko's replies. "Your memories _are_ shot. What do you remember?"

"Coming home," answered Emiko, a tiny bit of pink working its way onto her cheeks. "As well as bits and pieces from the night."

"Same here," confirmed the blond laying on the couch.

"Well, at least you are both wearing the clothing you left in, that's a good sign," comforted the gleeful feline. "Let's get you two some lunch."

After lunch the two felt better, well enough for Emiko to request they go for a walk. Urahara had a terrible feeling about it but agreed after seeing the woman's sad face.

"You're leaving again," he guessed, stopping their walk once they were outside the courtyard in front of the shop, behind the fence so no one could see them. Emiko only nodded, her head down. "Why? Why can't you stay? At least for a little longer."

"I wasn't meant to come back," confessed the ex-lieutenant in a soft voice. "When I left then I told myself it was for good but when I was hurt... when I was dying, I wanted to be here, with you."

"Then why are you going?" yelled Urahara, angrier then he thought he would be.

"Because," whispered Emiko, a tear sliding down her nose, her head still down. "It hurts. And you don't see it. I've tried to make it clear but you don't see. Its right in front of your face."

"You know I need you to point out those easy to spot things," spoke Urahara, placing his hands on her shoulders and bending the slight difference in their height to look into her angst eyes.

"But I've tried to let you know," she yelled but not in an angry way. "You're the only one that doesn't see it. I can't handle it anymore. I have to go."

"No," protested the man stubbornly, wrapping her in his arms. "I'm not going to let go so you can't leave."

"Kisuke, stop acting so childish," scolded the woman, glaring at him. "This isn't a game."

"Tell me why then," he bargained. "I deserve that much."

Emiko shifted uncomfortable before agreeing, allowing Urahara to let her go, knowing she would do as she said. "I... I LOVE YOU, YOU IDIOT!" she yelled, a sudden spouse of anger taking hold. "AND YOU'RE TO OBLIVIOUS TO NOTICE! BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER BECAUSE WE'RE ONLY FRIENDS... you said so last night."

Urahara stood there in shock. He had never had a girl say she loved him before. Truthfully he didn't think he had ever had a girl actually love him. He knew he was hard to handle. He liked to push people's buttons because he knew what would happen and he wanted them to do it. He always had a plan and a plan in cause that failed, and one for that plan and so on until nothing could go wrong. Being in love and being loved never fell into his plans for he would never _make_ someone love him. But here was his ex-lieutenant, a woman he admired for her brains and strength, though her strength wasn't for fighting, doing something he couldn't plan yet again. However, he not responding was not what Emiko had wanted.

"Do me a favour and let me pack in peace," she requested sadly before walking passed him, back towards the shop.

He stayed there after she had disappeared, back into the building. It was only after she was gone that he really understood what she had said. He followed her steps, entering his room to find Emiko throwing her clothing, makeup and other assortments into a duffle bag haphazardly.

"Emiko," sighed the man, grabbing a shirt out of her duffle and putting it back in the draw. "You don't have to go."

"Yes, I do," she snapped, grabbing the shirt he had just put back. She put it in the bag before Urahara grabbed out a pair of pants, putting them in the draw. "Stop that."

"No!" he retorted, grabbing the duffle off the bed and dumping the contents into the draw, making Emiko sigh in frustration. "I don't want you to leave and I don't understand why you have to."

"It hurts being around you," explained the woman. She gave a short, wet laugh. "I was stupid enough last night to think..." She stopped talking.

"You thought I was responding to your feelings," finished Urahara, with a sombre and understanding look. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lead you on. I don't know why I even made that bet."

"It's okay, I should have know," replied the girl, sitting on the bed, knowing she wouldn't be able to pack with him there. "But... I can't stay here, alright?"

"But I need you," told Urahara, sitting next to his friend but looking forward. "You're my muse. I hate you not being here. I fear you will get hurt and I'll never see you again. When you showed up the other day, all I could think was how I wouldn't survive you dying. I..." he cut himself off. He was never really good talking about his own feelings but at that moment he remembered moments with Emiko when he'd stop breathing, or he'd find himself smiling for no real reason as he worked in the lab with her, when she was hurt in his shop, the clench to his heart at the sight of her, and most recently, the kiss. He had liked it, more than just liking a good kiss. He laughed loudly at his own stupidity, making the beauty beside him look hurt. "You're right, I am an idiot."

Emiko looked confused before she was pushed back onto the bed. Urahara grinned down at her, his green eyes sparkling with mischief before he kissed her full on the mouth. The woman moaned in surprise, wrapping her arms around his neck, taking his hat off and throwing it aside so she could run her fingers through his hair. They stayed like that for a while, the only difference being Urahara's shirt left his body and his hand went under Emiko's shirt to sit on her stomach. They didn't jump apart at any noise in the hall.

"And you said you didn't care for her," a female voice by the open door jittered.

The two on the bed looked up, Urahara having to look over his shoulder, to see Yoruichi leaning against the doorframe, drinking a glass of milk and smiling smugly.

"Shoo, kitty, shoo," commanded Urahara in a slightly annoyed voice, waving his hand in the woman's direction.

"Congratulations, Emiko, you've finally allowed Kisuke to feel a woman's love for the first time, and a woman's touch." She closed the door before the pillow Urahara threw hit her. Instead it hit the door, falling to the ground lifeless.

"So will you stay?" the blond asked the woman beneath him. She just gave him a shrug, her eyes teasing him. "Okay, I'll say it! I was stupid for not realising I loved you earlier. I promise if you stay I'll tell you I love you every day as well as anytime you want or whenever I think you should hear it." Emiko didn't reply, making Urahara kiss her between saying, "Please!"

"Okay," she agreed before she pulled his head down for another kiss. "Captain Urahara, you need to see things in front of you!"

"Well, Lieutenant Takahashi," Urahara said, playing with the joke, "I see you, and you're in front of me... don't like the top."

"Pervert!"


End file.
